Wally Funk, aviation pioneer and oldest woman to go into space, dies at 87
Summary
Wally Funk, a pioneering female pilot who became the oldest woman to travel to space, died at age 87 in Grapevine, Texas. She was part of the Mercury 13, a group of women who underwent astronaut testing in the 1960s but were not accepted by NASA at that time.Key Facts
- Wally Funk died peacefully at her home in Grapevine, Texas, at the age of 87.
- She was a respected pilot with over 19,600 hours of flying experience.
- Funk was part of the "Mercury 13," a group of 13 women tested for astronaut training in 1961.
- Despite passing tests faster and better than many men, NASA did not accept women astronauts until 1978.
- She became the oldest woman to go to space later in life through a private spaceflight.
- Funk was the first female flight instructor at a US military base.
- She also worked as an aviation safety inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.
- Funk owned a flying school in Taos, New Mexico, where she taught thousands of people how to fly.
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